Top 5 Do-It-Yourself Wallpapering Mistakes
1. Not ordering enough material.
Wallpaper is sold in rolls by the square foot, but you cannot just measure your walls and buy the same square footage of wallpaper. Each strip put on the wall will have overhang at the top or bottom, to match the pattern to the next strip of wallpaper. The wallpaper should tell you the spread of the pattern so you can estimate the maximum overhang of the wallpaper strip. A rule would be to order at least 20-25% more square footage than needed to make sure you have enough to complete your wallpaper-hanging job.
2. Not matching lot numbers.
Make sure you use wallpaper rolls that come from the same lot. If your lot number doesn’t match, your project may not turn out optimally. Problems with mismatched lot numbers on your wallpaper rolls can include color variations, and differences in pattern that may cause your wallpapering project to turn out differently than desired.
3. Not prepping surfaces properly.
Make sure your walls are ready to wallpaper. Some walls may needs a wallpaper liner installed before beginning your wallpapering project. If your wall is textured, the texture may need to be scraped off or filled in in order to create a smooth, viable surface for your wallpaper installation. Although hanging wallpaper on textured walls is fastly becoming popular, creating a desirable dimensional look.
4. Underestimating workload for your wallpapering project.
Wallpapering projects can take a great deal of time if you are inexperienced. Depending on the scope of your project, walls may need to be resurfaced or a wallpaper liner may need to be installed, which may extend the timeframe and definitely the work of the wallpapering project.
5. Biting off more than you can chew.
If your project to wallpaper a small area or re-paper an area has ballooned out of proportion, it may be time to call a professional. “Do-it-yourself” projects are sometimes misleading, expanding into a huge undertaking that calls for more time and experience than you have to offer. Maybe the drywall started peeling off with the old wallpaper or the first strip of paper you put on took 3 times as long as expected and is crinkled in the corner. Whatever the predicament, feel free to call Jim Ward, The Wallpaper Guy, for professional results for any project.